Who we are, our beginnings, our future
Foundation
Since the Nutrons were founded in 1998 by freshman engineering student Joe Canavan, college students have been the driving force of our team. The Nutrons, based at Northeastern University, consists primarily of students coming from high school FIRST teams including Rosie, BUZZ, Mort, TechnoNUTS, Gus, SPAM, Aztecs, Tribe, Raider Robotix, Cyber Knights, Hyper, and MOE.
For several years the Nutrons were one of the only teams in the area. By our team’s second year, over a hundred members were on our roster. Although the number of participants on our team fluctuates as new teams are formed, our doors remain open to any individuals who find an interest in our team and FIRST. While our main affiliation is with Boston Latin High School, Brookline High School and Winthrop High School, individual students from Lexington, Cambridge, and Charlestown make the frequent commute to our lab in order to partake in an experience that would otherwise not be available to them. These students, all with different nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds, travel in many different ways including by train, bus or simply by foot, to bring the amazing diversity that makes up the Nutrons team.
Energy
As a result of the success of our program, many people have realized the huge potential FIRST has in the Boston area and many teams have begun to form. This has been an amazing year for the FIRST program in Boston, and the Nutrons have been a vital part of this expansion. In 2005, Dean Soyster and Northeastern’s College of Engineering were proud to assist FIRST by hosting and participating in the discussions which lead to the Smith Family Grant. This grant, which will total $300,000 over the next three years, has already been used to found seven new rookie teams from our community.
Outreach
Over the years, representatives from the Nutrons have traveled all over Boston and beyond to preach the word of FIRST. Besides speaking at the Northeastern University Conference for Engineering, the Nutrons are an active part of the open houses for prospective students. In fact, a visit, a visit to our lab has become a common stop for many students interested in Northeastern. Our robots have been displayed everywhere from science fairs to the Boston Museum of Science. We have made several presentations to Boys & Girls clubs around the Boston area, and plan to host 20 girls from the Cambridge Outreach for Minority Girls at the Boston Regional this year. In January, representatives from Textron took our 2001 National Championship Robot to an assembly in Providence to encourage students to stay in school.
Momentum
Over the course of the past nine years, our team has over come many challenges and has grown, both in strength and influence, to become a prominent positive figure in our community. Through the diversity of our group and the dedication of our student leaders, we have shown again and again that the FIRST ideals can be applied with great success. In recent years FIRST has experienced a rapid development in the Boston area. As leaders in this area, we have been at the forefront of this expansion through the organization of events, mentorship of new teams and other related community outreach. Without the consistent participation of team 125, FIRST’s growth in Boston may not have been as extensive. We look forward to continuing to spread.
